British ministers 'spooked' by chief scientific advisor

"Senior ministers were "misinformed" about the risks of a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant by the Government's chief scientific advisor, The Independent has learnt.

"At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday ministers were briefed on the "worst-case scenario" by Sir John Beddington. But less than 24 hours later the situation had deteriorated beyond even the most pessimistic private forecasts by Sir John. As a consequence, there was a significant delay in advising British residents to leave Tokyo and the surrounding area.

"Yesterday a plane flew to Japan to be on standby to evacuate the British rescue teams working in the disaster zone in case of further leaks. The Foreign Office advised British nationals in Tokyo and to the north of the capital to consider leaving the area."